A little bit about the life of Giovanni Sirabella.

Private tour driver from Livorno cruise ship port and from Florence.

I was born some years ago in Ischia, an enchanting island in the
gulf of Naples, one of the most attractive tourist destinations in
the entire south of Italy. Ischia is not as popular as its more
famous sister, Capri, but let me tell you that I would never
exchange my island for Capri!

My grandfather owned one of the best restaurant-pizzerie in the
historic centre of the town of Ischia and when I was a child I spent
there most of my summers eating pizza margherita every day,
giving a little help in the dining room and having a lot of fun with
clients from all over the world. My little brother and I were the
mascots of the place and everybody loved us. So I can tell you that
working in the tourism sector and spending time with people have
always been part of my nature.

But Ischia is also an island of sailors. My father used to be the chief
engineer on cargo ships and, of course, I chose to study at the naval
college. Then again tourism: I earned a degree in Economics with a
Masters in Tourism. As a young man, I worked for some years for a
local council member. This included taking care of the organisation of summer
events. But as I told you, there was some salt water in my blood,
and eventually I felt the call of the sea: my father told me that there was a
competition for a Purser on the famous cruise ship, Achille Lauro, one of the most
beautiful cruise ships of that time. I could not resist. I
participated in the competition and at the end I was able to realise my
old dream; sail the oceans - and what good luck, on a cruise ship!

I can tell you it was the best time in my life! I saw so many
places, I met people from all over the world and I even received an
excellent salary!

So I continued in this sector and my second ship was the “Italia Prima” a 5 star
ship of only 450 passengers. This was the time we did the entire
world cruise - 5 months all around the world. Unforgettable!

And so on and on until 1998, when I realised I was very tired and ready
for a big change.

In the past, during my months off from work on cruise ships, I once
went on holiday in Tuscany with my girlfriend.
It was love at the first sight! “This land is a paradise” I said.
Wonderful countryside, precious art towns, beautiful beaches,
gorgeous mountain for hiking.

When I had to decide where to start a new life, I had no doubt. Let’s move to Tuscany!

I rented a small apartment in one of the most beautiful villages of
the Chianti Classico,
namely Greve in Chianti. Of course,
my first
experience was to participate in the grape and olive harvest! After some
relaxing time in the countryside after years of rough sea, I worked
for American travel agents such as Go Ahead Vacations and Oversees
Adventure Travel, gaining a lot of experience of the Tuscan territory.

By then, I was ready to do something on my own and I opened my small
company, renting a car with driver, and started to do some wine tours organised by the local tourist office of Greve in Chianti.

After 16 years, I can tell you that I still have the same enthusiasm
as when I started and that I would never change my job with anything else.